The Siege of Washington

The Untold Story of the Twelve Days That Shook the Union

John Lockwood and Charles Lockwood

Original use of primary sources. Co-author John Lockwood is the National Mall Historian and uncovered access to documents from the period never used before.

This is popular history-reminiscent of James Swanson's MANHUNT, but focused on the beginning not the end of the war.

The Siege of Washington

The Untold Story of the Twelve Days That Shook the Union

John Lockwood and Charles Lockwood

Description

On April 14, 1861, following the surrender of Fort Sumter, Washington was "put into the condition of a siege," declared Abraham Lincoln. Located sixty miles south of the Mason-Dixon Line, the nation's capital was surrounded by the slave states of Maryland and Virginia. With no fortifications and only a handful of trained soldiers, Washington was an ideal target for the Confederacy. The South echoed with cries of "On to Washington!" and Jefferson Davis's wife sent out cards inviting her friends to a reception at the White House on May 1.

Lincoln issued an emergency proclamation on April 15, calling for 75,000 troops to suppress the rebellion and protect the capital. One question now transfixed the nation: whose forces would reach Washington first-Northern defenders or Southern attackers?

For 12 days, the city's fate hung in the balance. Washington was entirely isolated from the North-without trains, telegraph, or mail. Sandbags were stacked around major landmarks, and the unfinished Capitol was transformed into a barracks, with volunteer troops camping out in the House and Senate chambers. Meanwhile, Maryland secessionists blocked the passage of Union reinforcements trying to reach Washington, and a rumored force of 20,000 Confederate soldiers lay in wait just across the Potomac River.

Drawing on firsthand accounts, The Siege of Washington tells this story from the perspective of leading officials, residents trapped inside the city, Confederates plotting to seize it, and Union troops racing to save it, capturing with brilliance and immediacy the precarious first days of the Civil War.

The Siege of Washington

The Untold Story of the Twelve Days That Shook the Union

John Lockwood and Charles Lockwood

Table of Contents

Preface Prologue: "On to Washington!" Monday, April 15: "The Capital Can't Be Taken"Tuesday, April 16: "The Uprising of the North" Wednesday, April 17: "Independence or Death" Thursday, April 18: "Between Many Fires" Friday, April 19: "Minute Men of '61" Saturday, April 20: "Lincoln is in a Trap" Sunday, April 21: "A Real State of Siege" Monday, April 22: "Enveloped by the Traitors"Tuesday, April 23: "Fight, Sir, Fight!"Wednesday, April 24: "The Destiny of the Capitol . . . Suspended by a Hair" Thursday, April 25: "The Seventh Have Come!"Epilogue: "Jeff Davis Shan't Get It Without Trouble" Acknowledgments, Notes, Photo Credits, Index

The Siege of Washington

The Untold Story of the Twelve Days That Shook the Union

John Lockwood and Charles Lockwood

Author Information

John Lockwood is the National Mall Historian, National Park Service and writes frequently about the history of the nation's capital.

Charles Lockwood is an intellectual historian and the author of ten books, including Bricks and Brownstone.

The authors were born and raised in Washington.

The Siege of Washington

The Untold Story of the Twelve Days That Shook the Union

John Lockwood and Charles Lockwood

Reviews and Awards

The Siege of Washington is a thrilling story brilliantly told. In April 1861, the fate of the nation's capital - surrounded, isolated, and vulnerable - hung in the balance while dread, spies, and conspirators filled its streets. Who would arrive in Washington first? Union troops to save it? Or the rebel army to sack it? The Lockwoods possess an unerring eye for the human drama and illuminating details that make great history." --James L. Swanson, author of the New York Times best-sellers Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer and Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse

"[An] absorbing history . . . The authors' well-paced narrative captures the suspense of the ordeal and the Union's achievement in improvising a defense from scratch. This vivid portrait of a weak and jittery Washington turns into a story of how Northern vigor and organization trumped Southern élan, presaging the larger war." Publishers Weekly

"The Lockwoods have filled a surprising gap in Civil War literature by describing the 12 days in April 1861 from the "first shot" of the Civil War at Fort Sumter to the relief of the federal capital by Union troops . . . This day-by-day accounting captures all the confusion and fear that reigned in the first days of the war and shows how luck as much as decision determined the fate of the Union." --Library Journal

"This book by two brothers goes day by day, capturing the drama at every turn . . . an entertaining glimpse of a key early moment in the struggle for this nation's soul." --Huffington Post

"The Lockwoods' account of the first days of the Civil War is a tale well told, full of intrigue and real peril." --Daily Hampshire Gazette

"[T]his is a much-needed title, well-written, and certainly worthy of inclusion on the shelves of your Civil War library." --48thPennsylvania.com

"[A] detail-laden treasure . . . The Siege of Washington adds to our sum of knowledge about the war by putting those earliest days on a well-lighted stage and focuses our attention on just the right actors." --Roll Call

"[A] lively and thoroughly researched account of how local residents, government leaders and military officers reacted to events--real and imagined--occurring around them. Their narrative, sprinkled with colorful and mostly little-known anecdotes, adroitly captures the uncertainty and tension pervading President Lincoln's capital." --America's Civil War